Tandem access controller within the public switched telephone network

ABSTRACT

A system includes a tandem access controller (TAC) coupled to a PSTN, where the TAC allows a subscriber to set-up and make changes to the configuration of his/her phone line or other communications device. Such changes include selective call forwarding. The TAC is controlled by the subscriber using the web. The TAC is coupled internally to the PSTN in a local service area and is outside the subscriber&#39;s central office. A calling party makes a first call to the subscriber using the subscriber&#39;s public telephone number. The TAC receives the first call prior to the call reaching the subscriber&#39;s terminating central office. The TAC then carries out the subscriber&#39;s instructions for the first call, such as making one or more second calls using telephone numbers different from the subscriber&#39;s public telephone number. When the second call is answered, the answering phone is connected by the TAC to the caller.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/428,822, filed Jul. 5, 2006 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,155,298, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/426,279, filed Apr. 30,2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,324,635, which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. application Ser. No. 09/565,565, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,328, filedMay 4, 2000, all three of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to telephone services and, in particular, to asystem for allowing a subscriber to select features of the subscriber'stelephone service and to various novel features that can be selected.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

People have used various means for limiting interruptions due to thetelephone. In the past, people used switchboards and secretaries toscreen incoming, or inbound, calls. Voice mail systems took over some ofthis role both in the home and in the central office. Today, there areweb-based companies managing 3rd-party call control, via the toll-switchnetwork, which allow users to enter call control information through aweb portal. There are also edge devices in each of the public telephonecompany's central offices which provide local control, but offer anextremely limited number of features and do not provide true 3rd-partycall control.

The web-based toll systems provide good user interaction but they arenot economical and cannot take advantage of local number portabilitybecause they do not provide local control and connectivity.

The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) consists of a plurality ofedge switches connected to telephones on one side and to a network oftandem switches on the other. The tandem switch network allowsconnectivity between all of the edge switches, and a signaling system isused by the PSTN to allow calling and to transmit both calling andcalled party identity.

Until now, optional features were provided by the local servicetelephone company (telco) through the edge switch at the central office(CO). It was not possible to provide optional features through any othermeans. Control of these features was done through the first party(calling party) or the second party (called party), or worse yet,manually by calling the business office.

In the past, numerous devices have been built that allow the connectionof two lines together at an edge switch. These devices can be used toadd features to a telephone network by receiving a call on one line andthen dialing out on another line. The problem with these devices isthat, because they are connected through an edge switch, transmissionlosses and impairments occur, degrading the overall connection. Inaddition, signaling limitations prevent full control, by the subscriberor the system, over the call.

A preferred embodiment of the inventive system described herein connectsat the tandem, thereby eliminating these problems.

In the edge devices residing in the PSTN central offices, the 1st party(the calling party) has numerous features available (dialing options).The 2nd party (called party) also has options available such as callforwarding, but these features typically require access from the firstor second party's device and are extremely awkward to program. The userinteraction is not only awkward, it is limited and requires interactionwith the telephone company to provision them. In other words, pastsystems for provisioning, meaning addition, modification, or control oftelephone features, required a subscriber to make the feature selectionthrough the telephone business office. Central office workers would thenimplement the provisioning under request of the business office.

Call Forwarding is one popular provision. There is significationtransmission degradation for Call Forwarding to take place. The callingparty pays for a call to the edge device, and the edge subscriber, thecalled party, pays for the call to the forwarding number. For enhancedinbound call control to occur, a direct 3rd-party call control means isneeded.

A variety of services have arisen to address the problems mentionedabove. Many of these systems allow the called party to make changes tohis/her call forwarding attributes which do not allow direct 3rd-partycall control. These services provide good user interaction, some via theinternet, but they rely upon the toll network through the use of “800”numbers.

This requires the subscriber to pay by the minute and does not allow thesubscriber to take advantage of number portability in order to obtain3rd-party call control. There are other toll network mechanisms forremote call forwarding. For example, MCI offers a service where thecustomer can remotely change the forwarding target number for “800”numbers. Contacting the ultimate end-user before terminating the firstincoming call is similar to the manner in which “800” credit calls andcollect calls are processed, but these are not done at the localsubscriber level.

In addition to these toll services, there are edge devices that performsome of the same services. Edge devices such as phones and PBXs thatinclude voice mail, inter-active voice response, call forwarding, speedcalling, etc., have been used to provide additional call control. Thesedevices allow the phone user direct control over incoming and outgoingcalls. The disadvantage of edge devices is that they add cost, degradevoice and transmission quality, can be difficult to program, are noteasily programmed remotely, can require the user to pay for two lines,provide lower quality of service, and cannot provide the same level offunctionality as a system that controls the PSTN directly. There areVoice Over Internet Protocol (VoiP) products emerging that providebetter user interfaces and control but they do not take advantage andvoice quality of the PSTN.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system for allowing a subscriber to remotely control features isdescribed herein along with various telephone features that may beprogrammed into the system. A subscriber may be any customer using thetelephone service, in contrast to employees of the PSTN who may usespecial communication networks within the PSTN.

The present invention adds direct control of third party call controlfeatures, but does not suffer from any of the disadvantages listedabove, and allows the subscriber to manage his/her telephone system in adynamic and exceptionally useful manner that is not currently availablethrough the existing PSTN. The invention allows enhanced directthird-party call control features, such as selective call routing andremote dialing, to be added to the PSTN (Public Switched TelephoneNetwork) using local call control and providing dynamic provisioning ofthe system by the subscriber. Direct 3rd-party control means that theability to provision the 3rd-party features is directly available to asubscriber, eliminating the need to go through the telephone company(telco) business office.

In one embodiment, the system includes a processor, referred to hereinas a tandem access controller (TAC), connected to the PSTN, where theTAC allows a subscriber to set-up and make immediate changes to theconfiguration of his or her phone line or other communications device.In one embodiment, the TAC subsystem is connected internally to the PSTNin a local service area and is outside the central office of thesubscriber. A calling party makes a first call to the subscriber usingthe subscriber's public telephone number. The TAC receives the firstcall prior to the call reaching the subscriber's terminating centraloffice, which in some cases avoids a toll. The TAC then carries out thesubscriber's instructions for the first call, such as making one or moresecond calls using telephone numbers different from the subscriber'spublic telephone number. When the second call is answered, the answeringphone is connected by the TAC to the caller.

The TAC provides features, selected by the subscriber, to all edgeswitches connected to the PSTN tandem switch. Connecting directly to thePSTN tandem switch (or embedding the system into the tandem switch)eliminates the signal degradation problems previously described.

In one embodiment, the system allows provisioning of features via theinternet under direct control of the subscriber. Recently, severalproducts have been introduced that provide a means of controllingfeatures via the public internet. However, all these devices fall shortin that they require the subscriber to obtain an “800” number or someother number that requires the subscriber to pay a toll charge each timea call is made. The present invention connects locally, so no tollcharges are incurred.

The web-enhanced services in one embodiment of the invention coexistwith and overlay the local phone service at the local level, therebyproviding good economics and user interaction, single number access tomultiple subscriber devices, connectivity without transmissionimpairments and true, direct 3rd-party call control.

The present invention relies upon use of local telephone facilitiesthereby eliminating all the extra charges associated with making tollcalls. It also allows the user to take advantage of number portabilityand keep his/her existing public phone number.

Examples of two features that may be performed by the TAC are caller ID(CID) based call routing and branch calling. The system allows thesubscriber to set up a feature where the CID signal is detected withinthe PSTN and automatically associated with stored information relatingto the caller. The stored information may have been previously enteredinto a memory within the PSTN by the subscriber via the world wide web.The CID signal may be also used to route the call to one of moreforwarding numbers or to take any other action, such as blocking thecall. This feature also allows the subscriber to use the CID signal todisplay certain information even though the caller may have her CIDblocked.

Another feature described herein is referred to as branch calling, whichallows a call to be forwarded to multiple telephones simultaneously,where the first telephone answered terminates the calling of the othertelephones (or any other end units).

The offered features are implemented by software programs run by theprocessing system.

The web-enhanced services in one embodiment of the invention coexistwith and overlay the local phone service at the local level, therebyproviding good economics and user interaction, single number access tomultiple subscriber devices, connectivity without transmissionimpairments and true, direct 3rd-party call control.

The present system relies upon use of local telephone facilities therebyeliminating all the extra charges associated with making toll calls. Italso allows the user to take advantage of number portability and keephis/her existing public phone number.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the tandem access controller (TAC) in one embodimentof the present invention connected to the existing PSTN tandem switch,the TAC providing features for the subscriber's telephone as requestedby the subscriber via the web.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system similar to FIG. 1 but showing multipletandem switches and TACs and also showing how the subscriber may, inadditional to using the standard telephone, make phone calls using VoiceOver IP via a conventional digital telephone.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of one method that a person may use to set up asubscriber account and to designate features the subscriber would likefor his/her telephone.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method that can be performed by the TAC inresponse to the subscriber (or other service) controlling the TAC, usingthe web (or other packet-based system), to change the subscriber'stelephone provisioning or perform another function, such as make a VoIPcall.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method that can be performed by the TAC inresponse to an inbound call to the subscriber.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method performed by the subscriber and theTAC when the subscriber desires to make an outbound call via the web orusing a conventional telephone.

FIG. 7 illustrates a system, using the TAC, that allows wireless cellphones to obtain the same provisioning options as the conventionaltelephones.

FIG. 8 illustrates a system, using the TAC, that allows fax and modemcalls to benefit from the provisioning offered by the TAC.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of possible scenarios using the caller ID basedfeature.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of possible scenarios using the branch callingfeature.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a tandem access controller (TAC) 10 that allows anauthorized subscriber 12 to establish 3rd-party control criteria forcalls to the subscriber's telephone 14 (having a “public” phone numberthat callers dial). In one embodiment, the TAC 10 is a programmedprocessor. The TAC 10 may use any combination of hardware, firmware, orsoftware and, in one embodiment, is a conventional computer programmedto carry out the functions described herein.

The TAC 10 is connected to or inside the conventional PSTN tandem switch16 such that calls may flow through the TAC 10 in the same manner as theexisting PSTN tandem switch, except that additional 3rd-party featuresare applied to the call. As is well known, PSTN tandem switches areexchanges that direct telephone calls (or other traffic) to centraloffices 17, 18 or to other tandem switches. Details of the operation ofthe existing phone network may be found in the publication entitled “NewNet SS7 Tutorial,” by ADC Telecommunications, copyright 1999,incorporated herein by reference. Additional details may be found in thenumerous books describing the PSTN.

The PSTN tandem switch 16 directs a first call (from the calling party20 to the subscriber's phone 14 using the subscriber's public phonenumber) to the TAC 10, which in turn places a second call, subject to3rd-party control information, to the subscriber's “private” phonenumber without yet terminating the first call. The TAC 10 is connectedwithin the subscriber's local service area so calls from TAC 10 to thesubscriber do not incur a toll. When the subscriber 12 terminates (oranswers) the second call, the TAC 10 terminates the first call andconnects it to the second call, thereby connecting the calling party 20to the subscriber 12. Hence, the calling party essentially calls the TAC10, using the subscriber's public phone number, and the TAC 10, afterprocessing the call using the selected features, calls the subscriber,as appropriate, using the subscriber's private phone number and connectsthe two calls. The process is transparent to the parties.

The TAC 10 is connected inside the PSTN in the sense that it is not anedge device such as a PBX or central office (CO) switch because it doesnot connect directly to subscribers. Rather, it redirects calls tosubscribers. The TAC 10 provides intelligent interconnection between acalling party and a subscriber.

The reader should keep in mind that although only one tandem switch 16is shown in FIG. 1, the invention will apply equally well to a networkof tandem switches, as shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 also illustrates how thesubscriber can make calls using voice over IP via a conventional digitaltelephone 21.

FIG. 1 illustrates the preferred method for an authorized subscriber tomodify the 3rd-party control criteria by means of the world wide web 22(and web server 23) using an internet browser. By “authorized” we mean asubscriber who is registered and has logged-in with appropriate securityand password controls. The subscriber 12 interacts with the web 22 viathe Internet to quickly and easily specify the enhanced 3rd-party callcontrol features. Web 22 then relays this information, in appropriateform, to the TAC 10. Preferably, the link to the TAC 10 uses a secureprotocol. Examples of features that can be selected by the subscriberinclude: conditional call blocking, call forwarding, call altering, timeof day conditions, day of week conditions, follow-me, callerrecognition/password, caller ID, call screening/retrieval from voicemail, speed dialing, interactive voice response, and speech recognition.Any other feature could be added. These features can be implemented inthe TAC 10 using known software techniques since such features areknown. Message outgoing call control includes: click-to-dial calling andgroup calling/messaging.

The invention may also include ivr/vm/voverip.

FIG. 1 uses a public internet portal connected via a data link to theTAC 10 or other interface system. As a registered subscriber, a userlogs onto the portal (FIG. 3) and is granted access, allowing the userto make additions or changes to features such as speed calling, callforwarding, selection of such descriptors as time of day, busy status,caller ID status, etc. A user-friendly web page leads the subscriberthrough the various procedures and available features. The selectionsmade by the subscriber are translated into provisioning data andtransmitted to the TAC 10. The TAC 10 in turn keeps track of incomingand outgoing calls based on this information.

The subscriber can also program a set of the call control features via atelephone link in the event a data link connection is unavailable.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of actions that may be taken by the TAC 10 inresponse to the subscriber (or other service) controlling the TAC, usingthe web or other packet-based system, to change the subscriber'stelephone provisioning or perform another function, such as make a VoIPcall.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of actions taken by the TAC 10 in response to aninbound call (using the subscriber's public phone number) to thesubscriber. Examples of some of the actions taken by the TAC 10 are:

Receives SS7 data indicating an incoming call

Stores phone numbers downloaded from provisioning system

Charts identity of calling party

Checks time of day

Stores lists of numbers in groups used for processing incoming calls

Places outgoing calls in response to incoming calls according toinformation downloaded on the data link.

Incoming call data is received by the TAC 10 from the tandem switch 16.The TAC 10 processor checks calling and called numbers, class ofservice, time of day, number lists, etc. In some cases additional datais gathered from the calling party via a DSP (Digital Signal Processing)system and stored in the system memory. The DSP system is used to playcall progress tones and voice announcements as required. Voiceannouncements can be played through the DSP system. In response to thecall data, an outgoing call to the subscriber 12 may be placed backthrough the tandem switch 16 by TAC 10. The TAC 10 links the two callsand monitors the connection.

Information about the call may be collected by the TAC 10 and sent tothe subscriber or a 3rd party for display. Such information may be thelength of the call or information used to bill the subscriber for theuse of the system. The provisioning system can also collect controlinformation from a 3rd party and relay it back to the TAC 10, which willthen affect the call accordingly.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of actions taken by the subscriber 12 and the TAC10 when the subscriber desires to make an outbound call via the web orusing a conventional telephone. When using the web to place a call, thesubscriber may simply click a name on the computer screen 26 using amouse.

FIG. 7 illustrates a system, using the TAC 10, that allows wireless cellphones 28 to obtain the same provisioning options as the conventionaltelephones 14. A local cell 30 and a cell switch 32 are also shown inFIG. 7.

FIG. 8 illustrates a system, using the TAC 10, that allows fax and modemcalls to benefit from the provisioning offered by the TAC 10. The TAC 10may interface the ISP 36 through the web 22.

One embodiment of the invention allows a subscriber to view the currentstate of his/her telephone via the Internet. Internet is a term of artby which we mean an interconnection of packet switched networks. Priorto this system there was no way for a user to examine the status of atelephone line. Recently, several products have been introduced thatprovide a means of examining the voice message boxes.

An internet portal is connected via a data link to the TAC 10. When auser logs onto the internet portal and is granted access to anindividual subscription, the user can examine the status ofcalls/features. This information is transmitted from the TAC 10 to theweb portal and translated into user viewables. The TAC 10 keeps track ofincoming and outgoing calls based on this information.

The TAC 10 may be implemented using conventional processor hardware. Theconnection to the tandem switch 16 may be as simple as a telephonecircuit, since the TAC 10 receives an incoming call from a caller andprocesses the call. Devising the software/firmware use to control theTAC 10 is well within the capability of those skilled in the art sincethe various control features that can be made available are generallyalready known.

Certain advantages that can be obtained using the invention include thefollowing:

Web-Based Telecom Navigator

Manage Incoming Call Control

-   -   Conditional Call Blocking/Forwarding/Alerting    -   Time-of-Day, Day-of-Week, Follow-Me, Caller        Recognition/Password, Caller ID, etc.    -   Call Screening/Retrieval from Voice Mail    -   Interactive Voice Response and Speech Recognition

Manage Outgoing Call Control

-   -   Click-to-Dial Calling    -   Group Calling and Messaging

Web-Based Billing

Web-Driven Personal Communications Management

Cost-Effective Single Phone Number Access

On-Line “Personal Digital Assistant”

On-Line “Telcom Navigator”

Inspired User Interaction

Secure and Reliable Technology

Cost-Effective Single Phone Number Access

CLEC Status

-   -   Free Local Calls, Incoming Calls (not 800 Toll Service)    -   Retain Current Number (Local Number Portability)    -   Low-Cost Calling Throughout LATA    -   Flat-Rate Foreign Exchange    -   Single Installation Covers Entire LATA    -   VoIP Toll-Bypass

Compatible With Existing Devices, Standards

-   -   Standard DTMF and VoIP Phones    -   Wireless Phones    -   Standard Wired/Wireless and PIM Browsers

Web-Based Personal Digital Assistant

Centralized and Consistent Personal Data

-   -   Build Once, Use Anywhere    -   Private/Public Phone Directories and Calendars    -   “Post-It” Style Annotation of Numbers

Web Dialing

-   -   Click-to-Dial from Web Pages, Directories, Calendars    -   Multiple Phone List Management

Unified Messaging

-   -   Voice Mail Access, Prompts, Alert Via Web

User Interaction

Expected Behavior

-   -   Compatible with Familiar Products (e.g. Palm Pilot)    -   Commonality Between All Wired and Wireless

Mode-Based Definition and Selection

-   -   Vacation, Dinner Time, Go Away, Family Call Waiting    -   Templates

Learning Modes

-   -   Persona-Based User Interaction Design    -   Speech recognition    -   Windows drag and drop

Automatic Data Capture

-   -   Build Phone List Based on Collected Usage Information    -   Drag and Drop Into Lists

Secure and Reliable Technology

Separate Web-Site and Link Gateway

-   -   No Direct External Access to Gateway    -   Additional Security Layer    -   No Denial-of-Service to Voice Links

VoIP Link Degradation Detection

-   -   Automatic Cutover to PSTN

E-Commerce Security

-   -   Billing Encryption Caller ID Based Call Routing

One advantage of using TAC 10 is its ability to enhance caller IDinformation. Caller ID is a common feature where a calling party'stelephone number is transmitted to the called party's telephone so itcan be displayed on a small display screen in the telephone. This callerID information is provided by the calling party's central office switch.Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) is a global standard for telecommunicationsand defines the procedures and protocol by which network elements in thePSTN exchange information (including the caller ID) over the telephonenetwork for call set up, routing, and control. In some telephone sets,including wireless telephones, the name of the caller associated withthe telephone number is also displayed on the called party's displayscreen.

TAC 10 can use this automatically generated caller ID signal to providean enhanced set of caller ID related features. One such feature is theassociation of the standard caller ID information with additionalinformation about the caller stored in a memory addressed by TAC 10. Theenhanced caller ID information provided through TAC 10 provides avaluable tool to the subscriber in handling incoming calls. The basiccaller ID information, such as the caller's telephone number and name,can still be sent to the subscriber's phone and displayed in aconventional manner while the enhanced caller ID information may bedisplayed on the phone display or on the subscriber's computer monitorvia the web.

The caller ID signals, pursuant to the SS7 protocol, are detected by TAC10 when a calling party calls the subscriber using the subscriber'spublic telephone number, as previously described. TAC 10 then uses thebasic caller ID data to address a look-up table (LUT) containing anyadditional information that the subscriber has entered into the LUT'smemory locations for association with that caller ID data. FIG. 8 showssuch a LUT 40 within or connected to TAC 10.

In one example, the subscriber may identify a prospective callingparty's telephone number to TAC 10 via the Internet and then associatethe number with any other information for storing in LUT 40. Such otherinformation may be all the possible callers using the calling telephone,personal information regarding the calling party, billing information,business information, account numbers, past discussions with the caller,or any other information. When TAC 10 detects the caller ID signals, TAC10 addresses LUT 40 and downloads the retrieved information to thesubscriber's telephone display or to the subscriber's computer via theweb. Since TAC 10 (including LUT 40) stores this additional information,the subscriber is not required to personally provide processing ormemory devices for this feature.

Multiple subscribers use the same TAC 10 and LUT 40 but only the memorylocations in LUT 40 authorized for access by a particular subscriber areavailable to that subscriber.

A subscriber may program TAC 10 using the various means describedpreviously to perform any number of features on an incoming telephonecall based upon the caller ID data. Such features include forwarding acall associated with that particular caller ID data to one or more othertelephones, or blocking calls associated with that particular caller IDdata. Such calls may be forwarded or blocked only at certain times or oncertain days as requested by the subscriber. All of the other featurespreviously described may also be applied based upon the caller ID.

When the calling party elects to block her caller ID information,displaying the caller's number and name on the subscriber's telephonemay violate the privacy act, so such a restriction should be programmedinto the system. However, TAC 10 may still use the caller ID informationfor various legal purposes. For example, the subscriber may not wish toreceive phone calls from a particular phone number or calling party. Thesubscriber may transmit to TAC 10 the caller ID information (e.g., thetelephone number and/or the name) and instruct TAC 10 to either forwardthe call, block the call, or transmit any additional information fromLUT 40 to the subscriber's phone display or computer monitor forscreening the caller.

If caller ID information does not exist, such as where the localtelephone company does not offer caller ID, TAC 10, when receiving theincoming call, can transmit an automatic message to the caller to enteridentification information. TAC 10 then uses that information to addressLUT 40 to identify any associated information in LUT 40 for transmissionto the subscriber. TAC 10, in a recorded or simulated voice, can requestthe caller to enter her phone number via the telephone keypad.Alternatively, TAC can request that the caller speak her name or number,which would then be played to the subscriber or converted to text or acode by TAC 10 to address LUT 40. Alternatively, the caller can enter apersonal identification number or any other type of code (e.g., thecaller's name) via the keypad, which would identify the caller to TAC10. Once obtained, the caller ID information entered can be used toroute the incoming call via TAC 10 in any way programmed by thesubscriber. Call routing can be based on time of day, the caller ID, anyweb input instructions, a direction by the calling party itself, or anyother variable.

This technique is contrasted with 800-type services, which are reverselong distance services requiring the owner of the 800 number to pay forthe incoming call. With 800 numbers, the caller ID must be unblocked toidentify the amount of the toll. With the inventive technique, evenblocked caller ID calls can result in information about the caller beingtransmitted to the subscriber or used by TAC 10 to selectively perform afunction.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of various scenarios that may be carried out usingthe caller ID feature.

In step 50 of FIG. 9, an incoming call is received by TAC 10, aspreviously described, by a calling party calling the subscriber's publictelephone number. In all embodiments described herein, the end unitcalled may be a residential telephone or other communication deviceconnected to the PSTN via a central office, such as a computer, faxmachine, or other communication device. The services provided by TAC 10may be for residential telephone service or for business telephoneservice.

In step 52, using the SS7 protocol, TAC 10 detects the caller ID signal(CID), if any. Even if the calling party has a blocked CID, the CID isstill transmitted to TAC 10; however the blocked caller ID cannot bedisplayed on the called party's telephone. If the CID is detected, theprocess continues to steps 54 and 56, which determine whether the CID isassociated with any data in a look-up table. Existing data in thelook-up table associated with the CID indicates that the caller is aprevious caller. If caller ID information is known without everpreviously receiving a call from that party, the additional informationcan still be entered into the look-up table, and the calling party willbe treated as not a new caller in step 54.

Assuming the caller has information stored in the look-up table, thisadditional information is retrieved by TAC 10 and displayed on a webpage (step 58) that is accessible by the subscriber via the web. Inaddition, the caller's name and telephone number may also by displayed(step 60). The information may also be transmitted to the subscriber'stelephone for display.

In step 62, TAC 10 performs any programmed function on the call, such asforwarding the call to the subscriber's private telephone number oranother number.

The placing of the second call by TAC 10 causes the called phone to ring(step 64) as well as causes the CID and additional information to beavailable to the subscriber (step 66) on the subscriber's telephonedisplay. When the subscriber answers the phone, TAC 10 completes theconnection between the two parties.

The retrieved information from LUT 40 that is transmitted over the webmay appear as a screen pop-up on the subscriber's monitor. This CIDinformation can then be reviewed and edited to include new informationabout the caller provided during the call. The subscriber then downloadsthis edited information to TAC 10 so future calls from the same callerwould display the new information.

In step 54 if it is determined that the CID information is notassociated with any existing information in the look-up table, TAC 10determines whether the CID is blocked (identified in the SS7 protocol)in step 68. If the CID is not blocked, then the CID information istransmitted to the subscriber's telephone when TAC 10 places the call tothe subscriber's private number (or any other forwarding number), andthe CID is displayed on the subscriber's phone.

In step 68, if it is determined that the CID is blocked, TAC 10 willprompt the caller, via a recorded message or a simulated voice, to pressthe appropriate touch tone buttons to unblock the CID (step 70). Forexample, TAC 10 may be programmed to detect that a “1” key is pressed bythe caller to unblock CID and then treat the CID information asunblocked. Alternatively, the caller may be required to call back afterpressing the proper touch tone keys to unblock the CID in a conventionalway.

In step 72, if the CID is now unblocked, the CID is obtained from thecaller in step 74. The process also goes to step 74 if, in step 52, theCID is not initially obtained.

In step 76, TAC 10 determines whether the CID signal has been providedby the calling party from either the automatic CID signals or from thecaller manually entering the caller's telephone number, name, or PIN, aspreviously described. If yes, then in step 54 TAC 10 uses the CIDinformation to determine whether the caller is a new caller, and theremainder of the process continues as previously described.

In step 72, if it is determined that the CID remains blocked after TAC10 has prompted the caller to unblock the CID, then in step 74 it isdetermined by TAC 10 is step 77 (after reviewing the subscriber'sprogrammed instructions) whether the subscriber is accepting blockedcalls. If yes, TAC 10 then places a call to the subscriber's privatenumber or any other number identified by the subscriber, and puts theblocked call through. The blocked CID information would not betransmitted to the subscriber's phone.

If the subscriber's instructions are to not accept blocked calls, thenin step 78 the blocked call is not forwarded to the subscriber's phone,or the blocked call is sent to voice mail. Voice mail may be a memoryinternal to TAC 10, or TAC 10 may transmit a special code to thesubscriber's phone that automatically causes the call to be routed to aprivate voice mail system.

As seen, as long as the caller ID data received by TAC 10 hasinformation associated with it in the look-up table, the storedinformation can be transmitted to the subscriber even if the caller IDis blocked. Further, even blocked caller IDs can still be used by TAC 10to perform a routing function on the call. The caller ID feature may beimplemented by a software program run by the processing system in TAC10.

Because the conventional blocked CID information provided by the phonecompany is never displayed to the subscriber, the tagging system doesnot violate the privacy act. Known features such as call trace (whereCID is provided to law enforcement people), or call return (where theblocked caller can be called back) have established a legal precedentthat it is ok to use blocked CID information for certain purposes aslong as the caller ID is not disclosed to the called party

Branch Calling

Branch calling is an enhanced telephone feature not believed to beprovided on today's public telephone networks. This feature can beeasily provided using TAC 10.

Branch calling is a technique where a caller places a first callintended for a called party to TAC 10. After receiving the call, TAC 10looks up the call handling instructions programmed into TAC 10 by thesubscriber via the web, via the telephone, or via any other technique.One set of these instructions is branch calling, which instructs TAC 10to simultaneously call any number of different telephone numbersprogrammed into TAC 10 by the subscriber. The called phone numbers maybe any combination of local, long distance, or cellular numbers.

When a party answers one of the ringing lines, the answering party isconnected to the calling party, and the other calls are abandoned.

For branch calling to operate in the most desirable manner, the systemmust detect that a call has been answered in order to terminate thecalls to the other telephones (or other end units). Accordingly, someform of answer supervision must be present. Answer supervision isimplemented inside the PSTN but generally not available to privatenetworks (e.g., PABXs). Since SS7 signaling supports answer supervision,it is easy for this branch calling feature to be provided through TAC 10since TAC 10 is connected inside the PSTN.

Prior art systems without answer supervision must call each forwardingnumber sequentially, whereby after a certain number of preprogrammedrings, the calling stops and the next number is called until someoneanswers the phone. Because a ringing time-out must occur before the nextcall can be tried, an unrealistically long delay can occur before thecall is placed to the proper telephone and finally answered. Incontrast, the present invention allows TAC 10 to ring all the numberssimultaneously so the call can be answered quickly.

It is desirable that the answer supervision signaling not be delayed sothat the calling and called parties may be connected quickly when thecall is answered and so that during the delay time two parties do notanswer two different ringing phones.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of some scenarios in branch calling, whereby anincoming call to TAC 10 causes TAC 10 to place at least two new callssimultaneously and, when one of these phones is answered, the remainingcalls are abandoned.

In step 80 of FIG. 10, TAC 10 receives an incoming call.

In step 82, TAC 10 looks up the routing instructions for the DNIS(Dialed Number Identification Service) and caller ID (if any). The DNISidentifies the number that was called, and the caller ID (CID)identifies the calling telephone number and sometimes the caller. DNISworks by transmitting the touch tone digits to TAC 10. A subscriber forTAC 10 may program TAC 10, as previously described, to perform anynumber of functions based upon the DNIS number, the CID, the time ofday, or based upon any other factor. Such instructions may be stored ina look-up table addressed by the subscriber's public phone number(identified by the DNIS number). Since multiple subscribers will beusing the same TAC 10, TAC 10 needs to know what number was dialed inorder to perform the function on the call selected by the subscriber.

In step 86, TAC 10 identifies the features to apply to the incomingcall. If the instructions are to block the call, then TAC 10 blocks thecall in step 87. In the present example, it is assumed that the featurethe subscriber wants to apply is a branch calling feature where twotelephone numbers are to be called by TAC 10.

In step 88, TAC 10 generates a ring back tone to the caller to indicatethat a telephone is ringing.

In step 90, TAC 10 places a call to a first telephone number, whichcauses the called phone to ring (step 92). Parallel operations areperformed for a second phone number in steps 93 and 95.

In step 96, it is determined by TAC 10 whether the first phone has beenanswered using answer supervision signaling provided by SS7 (step 98).

In response to the answer supervision signaling, TAC 10 abandons theother call to the second telephone (step 100).

In step 102, TAC 10 completes the phone call by connecting the callingparty to the answered telephone. This process may be applied to otherthan telephones, such as computers or other types of communicationequipment.

In step 96, if the call is not answered after the ring, it is determinedwhether the other telephone has been answered (step 104). If not, thetwo phones continue to ring.

If it is determined in step 104 that another telephone has been answered(i.e., the answer supervision signal has been received by TAC 10), thecall to the first telephone is abandoned (step 106).

The same operation is performed with respect to the second telephonecall in steps 108-112.

Any number of telephone calls may be simultaneously placed by TAC 10 inresponse to a branch calling instruction.

In step 86, if the instructions programmed by the subscriber are toblock the call, then TAC 10 blocks the call in step 116.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatchanges and modifications may be made without departing from thisinvention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims areto encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications thatfall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of using control criteria to route acommunication between a user with access to a voice over IP (VOIP)communication network, and a called party with access to the publicswitched telephone network (PSTN) comprising: receiving at a controllera signaling message indicating a communication from the user via theVOIP network; using information in the signaling message to retrievecontrol criteria from a database, where the control criteria has beenauthenticated and derived from selections previously made by said uservia a web server; and using the control criteria to route thecommunication from the controller to the called party via a PSTN tandemswitch that is separate from a central office switch without traversingany intervening switches between the controller and the PSTN tandemswitch.
 2. The method of claim 1 where the communication comprises acall.
 3. The method of claim 1 where the communication comprises a shortmessage.
 4. The method of claim 1 where the signaling message indicatinga communication is for a first call, and the routing of thecommunication constitutes a second call from the controller.
 5. Themethod of claim 4 where the control criteria includes a phone number ofthe user.
 6. The method of claim 4 where the selections made by the uservia a web server include a selection of a phone number.
 7. The method ofclaim 4 where the selections made by the user via a web server includean entering of a credit card number.
 8. The method of claim 4 where theselections made by the user via a web server include an entering ofpersonal information.
 9. The method of claim 4 where the selections madeby the user via a web server include a selection of features.
 10. Themethod of claim 9 where the selection of features includes a selectionof selective call forwarding.
 11. The method of claim 9 where theselection of features includes a selection of caller ID blocking. 12.The method of claim 4 where the control criteria include securitymeasures.
 13. The method of claim 12 where the security measures includethe prevention of denial of service attacks.
 14. The method of claim 12where the security measures include no direct access to a gateway. 15.The method of claim 12 where the security measures include an additionalsecurity layer to prevent hacking.
 16. The method of claim 12, whereinthe security measures include VOIP link degradation detection.
 17. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the security measures include automaticcutover to the PSTN.
 18. The method of claim 12, wherein the securitymeasures include conditional call blocking.
 19. The method of claim 12,wherein the security measures include call logging.
 20. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the security measures include authentication of acalling party.
 21. The method of claim 1 where the controller is of adistributed nature supporting multiple subsystems.
 22. The method ofclaim 21, where one of the multiple subsystems is a digital signalprocessing (DSP) subsystem.